My heart is full from the privilege of spending a weekend retreat in the redwoods with an amazing group of women. This experience fills and fuels me.

I’m grateful for everyone who attended and brought wonderful warm energy to practice Gratitude Writing on 11.1.19. It was a grounding way to kick off a wonderful Women’s Wellness weekend with self-care, connection, nature, kindness, and new experiences.

On Saturday afternoon, participants at Write The Story Of Your Life thought outside the box about their life visions. I was grateful to witness and hear about where attendees were on their various journeys. It was inspiring to see what was important to each person and to share in new insights and awareness.

Celebrate creativity, writing, community, and young writers with me on August 4, 2019 from 1 – 4:30 pm at the Santa Clara University Recital Hall.

Along with a celebration for the newly published young authors (the winners of the Inklings Book Contest) in the 2019 Inklings Book, the afternoon will be full of inspiration and hands-on writing workshops.

Here are some writing prompts to use in a daily writing routine. This practice can support you to attune with what is real, true, and present for you in the moment. Becoming present with body, emotions, and thoughts with equanimity is valuable for consciously living with peace and freedom from mind traps.

Join me and some Unstoppable Women at Orchard Valley Coffee in Campbell, CA to learn the “3 A’s” (Awareness, Acknowledgement, Acceptance) and how to use them in a writing practice to cultivate self-awareness, resilience, well-being, mindfulness, and emotional freedom.

RSVP through Meetup:

The 3 A’s of Mindfulness

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn How will cultivating mindfulness change your life? In this workshop, learn the “3 A’s” (Awareness, Acknowledgement, Acceptance) and how to use them in a writing practice to …

The first level is the direct experience. In the direct experience, sensory input is perceived using the senses. (I feel cold. I smell salty air. I hear lapping waves. I energetically sense openness) Emotions are observed in the direct experience – calm, fear, sadness, anger, joy.

The second level is the thoughts about what is occurring. The thoughts may include stories. “I wish…, I believe…, I am…, I think…”

The third level is the emotions that arise due to the thoughts. (If I believe “I am weak,” I may feel sad, angry, or afraid. If I believe “I am strong,” I may feel joyful and expansive.)

We may not be consciously aware of the thoughts and beliefs (stories) we hold. This can lead to reacting to situations (and emotions) out of patterns.

Making a choice to respond consciously requires awareness of the pattern. Awareness is the first step. This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness allows awareness. Mindfulness allows being present equanimously with the direct experience.

Once we become aware of the direct bodily sensations and emotions, we can understand which thoughts are stories, and which are actually reality. We can free ourselves from distress caused by unhelpful beliefs and thoughts from the third level.

In the direct experience, bliss, connection, and flow exist. Mindfulness is a key to the direct experience.